


The Village

by Enmy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:21:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28986279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enmy/pseuds/Enmy
Summary: Sasuke has lived inside the walls of his village completely unaware of what dwelled in the outside world but all that changed when he met Naruto, a boy who lived outside all his life.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Village

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This story was in part inspired by the pilot manga so before you make comments that Naruto is human and Kurama is male just remember that.

The Village

Summary: Sasuke has lived inside the walls of his village completely unaware of what dwelled in the outside world but all that changed when he met Naruto, a boy who lived outside all his life.

Sasuke watched the tall gates of the village being closed by the gatekeepers as the sun was about to set. The process was the same every evening and it had been the same for as long as he could remember but there was something that still made him watch it again and again.  
It wasn't the gates that intrigued Sasuke, of course. They were large, massive wooden gates, enforced with steel, impressive in size but nothing more. What intrigued Sasuke was the world beyond those gates, the world he has never seen. No child in Konoha has seen the world beyond the wall and many adults hadn't seen it either. For most villagers the world beyond was just a myth, a legend, a nightmare. There was one child in the village that had seen the world beyond though, his name was Gaara and he was Sasuke's best friend.  
Sasuke tried for years to get something out of his quiet friend but with no success, Gaara would not say a word. Gaara was an orphan child whose parents had been killed by the creatures living beyond and who had been found by some merchants from Konoha as they came home after exchanging the goods they took with them, or at least that was what Sasuke knew since Gaara never confirmed or denied the facts. Merchants and warriors were the only people who got to leave the village and they never went out alone.  
Once a week hunters went into the nearby woods to hunt for food and that was when the whole village gathered to get their share of game. Sasuke had always admired them for being strong enough to be allowed to go outside. He was merely five when he decided that he would become a warrior himself just like his father and older brother.  
When he started his training with his brother, Itachi, he had been so happy that he went to brag to Gaara about it and had asked the red head if he didn't want to join him. Itachi wouldn't mind, he added when he saw Gaara hesitate, thinking that was the reason why his friend was holding back.  
"You're still thinking about going out?" Gaara asked as he followed Sasuke's gaze towards the gates.  
"You know I am."  
"What do you expect to find out there?" Sasuke's gaze moved on his friend and he tilted his head slightly. Gaara had never asked him that before and he had never given it much thought either. "If you're interested in it just because you're not allowed to go, then just forget about it."  
Was that why he wanted to go out so badly, because it was forbidden? Maybe it was but was that a bad thing?  
"Maybe I would lose my interest in the outside world if you just told me what's there." Gaara stayed silent and a small sigh escaped Sasuke's lips.  
The forests beyond the walls were filled with dangerous creatures was what the village elders told him. They would be dwelled by monsters if you asked someone who has lost a loved one in battle or by demons if you asked a concerned mother who wanted to scare her child and make him stay away from the gates. Sasuke was not satisfied with either answer because in his opinion people were contradicting themselves. A dangerous creature would be a dangerous animal and nothing more, something that you could deal with if you had adequate weapons. A monster would be a huge creature with tremendous power that would require team work and a lot of effort to defeat, while a demon would be an evil creature with supernatural powers. Or so it was in Sasuke's mind. So which was it?  
Every now and then the hunters came back with one of these creatures but Sasuke saw nothing more than an ordinary animal, only larger in size.  
"You're never going to tell me, are you?" It was a rhetorical question since Gaara was stubborn in spite of his quiet personality.  
"You can't know the unknown until you dwell in it." The gates were closed so Gaara turned around and began walking. Sasuke followed him silently, pondering on his friend's words.

Sasuke was taking his training sessions very seriously. He would wake up and practice on his own every morning, before breakfast then, if Itachi was free, they would train together.  
"You're getting better at using weapons." Itachi pointed out as they were target practicing with kunai.  
"I'm not as fast as you are, though." Itachi smiled at him.  
"You have plenty of time to improve but there are other things you need to learn too."  
Sasuke gave Itachi his full attention. He was always eager to learn something new. "What are you going to teach me next?"  
Itachi put his weapons in his pouch and turned to look at Sasuke. "Father told me that you awakened your sharingan."  
"Yes."  
"What do you know about the sharingan?"  
"It's an eye ability that only our family has and can be used to predict movements and create illusions. It can be used for more elaborate techniques when it develops." Sasuke said without even taking a breath. Since he came from a clan of warriors he learned about the techniques his family specialized in but also what other clans specialized in.  
For example the Inuzukas were training hunting dogs, the Naras specialized in healing and medicine preparation, the Hyuugas also had eye ability, just like the Ucihas, called the byakugan, the Yamanakas specialized in mind control while the Akimichis used brute force. The Aburame clan's specialty he did not understand yet but he did know that they used bugs.  
"Now show it to me." Itachi ordered. Sasuke closed his black eyes and focused hard on the task at hand. Awakening the sharingan didn't mean that activating it was like taking a stroll in the village. After a few moments he opened his eyes and they were red with two tomoes each. "Good, now let's have a little spar and I want you to use that to predict my movements."  
Training that day had exhausted Sasuke more than usual. He had to concentrate to keep the sharingan activated and on top of that fight against Itachi, a trained fighter. Of course it didn't work since his full attention was on keeping the sharingan activated so he ended up being beat up by his older brother. He didn't hold it against Itachi though since he knew that Itachi would never really hurt him. A few scratches and bruises were nothing if he wanted to be a warrior.  
He dragged his feet to the lake, where he liked to spend his time and lay on the grass with his hands folded under his head.  
"You look terrible." He heard his friend's familiar voice before the red head appeared in his range of sight and took a seat beside him.  
"It's nothing. Itachi is stepping up my training, that's all."  
"You should ask him to be gentler next time. You look like shit, no offence."  
"Do you think that whatever is out there is gentle with him when he goes hunting?"  
"I don't understand all this." Gaara said absentmindedly, looking at the horizon. Sasuke shifted his head's position to see him better.  
"What?"  
"The fighting. Why do people need to fight?"  
Sasuke stood up in a sitting position, keeping his body upwards with his arms firmly pressed against the ground. "For food and to protect themselves of course."  
"Protect…" Gaara muttered the word then said nothing more.

"Is everybody ready for this?" Fugaku Uciha asked the group of men before him. They were all armed with weapons and Tsume Inuzuka, the only woman in the group, had three dogs with her.  
"Ready." A large man with long red hair, named Chouza Akimichi, confirmed.  
"We'll be waiting for you to return" A man with black hair tied in a ponytail added "If anyone is injured, we'll be ready."  
"Thank you, Shikaku." Fugaku added before he led the group through the wooden gates and into the dark forest.  
It was the day of the week when the warriors went to hunt for food but it was not just an ordinary day. It was the day before the festival that was held during the solstice and the hunting sessions before the festival were always longer since they wanted to make sure there was plenty of food for everyone during the celebrations.  
"We shouldn't go too deep into the forest, Fugaku." Tsume pointed out.  
"You are right, of course, but we don't have enough game for tomorrow so we must take this chance." Fugaku said and the woman sighed but still followed him deeper into the forest. One must never leave the group when in the woods, that was a strict rule that everyone obeyed. Fugaku was the leader of the group and his decisions had to be obeyed once they were out in the wilderness. That was why trust in your team mates was of upmost importance and Fugaku's judgment was trusted by everyone.  
The dogs began to bark at Tsume and she informed the group "We're getting close to something."  
"Which way?" Itachi asked.  
Pointing a direction to her left she said "That way."  
They went in the direction indicated by Tsume when suddenly the dogs went out of control. They refused to go further and barked like mad dogs. Everyone looked around but it seemed peaceful and quiet until a giant fox appeared in front of them. Her fur was glowing with a faint red light as she growled at them. Itachi made a few hand signs and released a giant fire ball from his mouth that hit the fox in the head. She turned her head away to protect her eyes from the flame and the others used this moment to launch their own attacks at her. She yelped in pain but made a step forward none the less and the nest time she opened her muzzle, a ball of blue chakra was directed at Chouza.  
Making another fire wall between the fox and his men, Fugaku yelled "Inoichi, now!" The blond man made some hand signs with the speed of wind and fell on the ground unconscious.  
The fox had stopped moving and they all attacked it until she released her last breath with a long, sad cry.

Gaara, hearing the cry in the distance turned his head in that direction. "The sound of death."  
"Yeah, but we'll have plenty of food for the celebration tomorrow." Sasuke added. "Come on! Let's meet the hunters at the gates." He stood up full of enthusiasm, almost forgetting about his bruises until they began to hurt at the sudden movement. The walk to the gates should not have been long but since he couldn't move very fast it took them longer to get there. Gaara was not that eager to see another dead animal or another injured human but followed Sasuke quietly none the less.  
The group of hunters came back and Chouza was taken by the Naras into their care. He was in critical state but still alive, that was good. If it had been anyone else they would have died instantly but the Akimichis had their secrets and whatever techniques or pills they used worked in Chouza's favor this time too.  
When the boys reached the gate, several people were already gathered there, especially relatives of those who went hunting. No matter how many times the hunters left the village, their families were still concerned for them and women often came to the gates to wait for their husbands and children to come back. This time however more people gathered since they heard the fox's cry and became curious about the outcome of the battle.  
The fox's dead body was taken like a trophy in the village square along with everything else the hunters brought. Sasuke watched the villagers carry the fox then his gaze moved to look for his father and brother. Knowing his mother she should be there too. Spotting his brother he moved in his direction with Gaara in tow.  
"Itachi, what happened?"  
Itachi who had been talking to someone from the Akimichi clan, probably explaining what had happened, looked downwards where Sasuke's voice came from. "Sasuke, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here."  
"I heard the fox's cry. Is anyone hurt?"  
"Yes. Chouza-san."  
"Is he going to be alright?" Sasuke asked tilting his head slightly to the right.  
"Shikaku-san is doing his best to make sure Chouza-san will be alright. Now go home, this is not a place for kids."  
Sasuke nodded and did as he was told. His father and brother were alright and the mission was accomplished.  
"Do you think the Akimichis will enjoy the festivities?" Gaara wondered aloud making Sasuke snort.  
"Of course not. How can they when they don't even know if Chouza-san will make it or not."  
"Do you still think it was worth it?"  
"What?" Sasuke snapped at him, already getting impatient with his friend. He could accept that Gaara didn't like hunting but why couldn't Gaara understand that hunting was necessary for food and sometimes when people provide food for their loved ones they get hurt.  
"Nothing. I'll see you tomorrow." Gaara left, leaving Sasuke alone in the empty street.

The next morning Sasuke woke up early, as usual, and made a few exercises to see if his body still hurt. It did but it wasn't as bad as it was the day before so he decided to do his morning training after all. Getting dressed he left the house and headed towards the lake which was on the other side of the village.  
As he was passing by the square he heard noises as if someone was crying. It was early in the morning and most people didn't leave their households yet so who would be in the square? He moved closer to the place where the fox was placed on a beam of wood, ready to be roasted and noticed a blond boy kneeled down next to it, crying.  
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke's sudden voice in the quiet morning startled the blond who jumped on his feet and looked at the raven horrified. But although he looked like a deer at the sight of hunters he didn't make an attempt to run, which made Sasuke confused.  
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you were here." Sasuke assured him, thinking that was the reason why the boy looked so frightened. "Just tell me what are you doing here?"  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" The blonde's attitude changed suddenly, becoming slightly aggressive.  
Sasuke smirked "Crying over your lunch." The blonde's hands started to tremble in anger until he clenched his fists to stop the trembling. Sasuke crossed his arms above his chest, rather amused by the boy before him.  
"That's not lunch you moron, that's a forest dweller." Now that was a new word for Sasuke.  
"No…that's a fox." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "And it will be lunch at the festival."  
"Are you really an idiot or you're just pretending to be one?" The blond spat at him "Can't you even tell the difference between an animal and a forest dweller?"  
"No, I can't. Why don't you enlighten me?"  
"I am a forest dweller." The blond emphasized his words by pressing a fist against his chest.  
"Really?" Sasuke asked amused "Because you look like a human to me." This kid had to be the craziest kid in the village. His family must have kept him locked up somewhere so that no one would know of his existence and now he escaped. That would also explain why Sasuke has never seen him before.  
He was taken aback when the blond snorted "Of course I do. Forest dwellers can look like humans too if they want. My transformation is not that good though and I can't get rid of these whiskers." He pointed a finger at his face which had three whiskers like scars on each cheek.  
"Sasuke." The raven turned to look behind him only to find Gaara standing there and fixing the blond with his piercing gaze.  
"Gaara…can you believe this kid? He thinks he's a forest dweller." He didn't bother to hide his amusement but Gaara didn't laugh. That in itself was not surprising though since Gaara never laughed. Sasuke assumed it was probably because he witnessed his family being killed.  
"If you don't believe me I'll prove it to you." The blond yelled, even more enraged by Sasuke's mocking attitude.  
With a puff of smoke the blond in front of Sasuke disappeared and an orange fox with shiny, soft fur and the most beautiful sky blue eyes took his place. It yelped a few times after seeing Sasuke's expression change from amused to amaze.  
"Gaara? Do you see a fox where that boy used to be?" He needed someone to confirm that he wasn't dreaming or worse, that he is not crazy.  
"Yes."  
"This is insane."  
"Is it?"  
There was another puff of smoke and the blond reappeared in front of the two boys.  
As Sasuke recovered from his previous shock, more questions overwhelmed him "But…how did you get inside?"  
"I jumped over the wall." The blond said as if jumping over the six meters tall wall would be the first option for anyone who didn't want to or couldn't use the gates to enter the village.  
"You just jumped over the wall that was supposed to protect us from the demons outside?"  
The boy looked puzzled "What demons? I haven't seen any demon." He completely ignored Sasuke's state of shock and came closer to him. "You thought that wall was protecting you from something?" he leaned forward invading Sasuke's private space and making him make a step back.  
"That is its purpose."  
"If the forest dwellers wanted to attack you, then that wall would be useless." Sasuke had expected him to laugh in his face or something if what he was saying was true but now that they were so close to each other he saw the sadness in those blue eyes.  
"Was that fox someone you knew?"  
"Yeah." It was the last thing the blond said before he walked away.  
"She was his mother." Gaara finished the answer that the blond wouldn't give and Sasuke looked at him bemused.  
"How can you tell?"  
"They have the same smell. Had the same smell." Gaara concluded before he too walked away.  
No, this is not the end of it. Sasuke wouldn't allow it to be. He will not be left alone in the dust when he has so many questions left to ask. The blond was gone and he didn't even get his name, if he had one and he couldn't change that. What he could do however was to stop Gaara and demand some answers. He was getting tired of all the secrets his friend kept from him about the outside world.  
He grabbed Gaara's shoulder firmly, but not enough to hurt him and the red head turned to look him in the eyes.  
"Did you know about these…" he tried to remember what the blond called them "forest dwellers?" Gaara made an attempt to walk away but Sasuke would not let him go, not this time. "Tell me!" he demanded.  
"Yes." Gaara's blue eyes were piercing through him and Sasuke suddenly found it harder to breathe.  
"Did you see one before?" he asked as he tried to control his breath, slowly breathing in, then out and then all over again.  
"Yes."  
"Were they the ones who killed your parents?" Sasuke wanted really hard to believe that was the case. He didn't like to think that the humans were the bad guys in this story, not after he was told it was the other way around, not after Chouza-san was badly hurt by one of them. Humans were good, humans were just, they were only trying to survive in a dangerous world and for that they had to fight.  
"No." Sasuke's heart sunk. The blond was now an orphan because of humans and for what? For a feast? And who knows for what dumb reason did Gaara's parents die.

Sasuke was not looking forward to go to the festival, not anymore, but he knew he had to go. If he told his mother that he wanted to stay home she would ask for his reasons and there was no way he could explain the mind blowing events from that morning. No, he couldn't talk to anyone about that morning except for Gaara so he was looking forward to seeing his friend there. Besides there was something that Gaara said that still nagged him and he wanted to ask him about it.  
He arrived at the square with his parents and Itachi and they went to blend in with everyone else and socialize while he looked for a familiar mop of red hair but Gaara was nowhere to be seen. His eyes landed on the fox under which a fire was burning bright and he felt sick so he turned his gaze away. If he had to eat anything he would puke for sure so he went as far as he could from the food stands.

Gaara walked deeper into the forest, carrying a small parcel in his hands. He figured that since everyone was at the festivities they wouldn't notice that he was missing as for Sasuke, he wouldn't tell. He stopped by the edge of a lake that was covered with fallen leaves from the nearby trees and waited patiently for his presence to be noticed by the only other person there.  
The blond had been crying, mourning to be more precise and was very grateful that the red head waited patiently until he gained his composure.  
"Why are you here?" He asked. His tone was meant to be angry but failed miserably between sniffs and wiped off tears.  
"I brought you some food."  
"Why?"  
"Sasuke is not a bad guy although he can be annoying when he thinks he knows everything. By the way my name is Gaara."  
"I got your name this morning."  
"I didn't properly introduce myself though."  
"Naruto…" The blond introduced himself, his tone a tad bit more friendly than before.  
"Do you want some company or should I go?" Gaara asked after he passed the parcel to Naruto who took it gratefully.  
"Wouldn't Sasuke want you to keep him company? After all you're his friend." Naruto sat on the edge of the lake and after opening the parcel he began digging into the tasty food.  
"He can live without me for a few hours."  
"In that case I could use some company." Gaara sat down besides Naruto and looked at the lake before them.  
"They are not all bad people, just ignorant." Naruto looked at him for a while before he started eating again. He didn't want to judge what he didn't know but right now what Gaara was saying sounded wrong. Maybe after his wounds healed he would reconsider, maybe not. He will see what he can do when he gets there but right now forgiving was out of the question. "Can you at least give Sasuke a chance? You're all alone now and you can use some friends."  
"Someone who is eating my mother at a feast can't be my friend."  
"Maybe he's not now that he knows who she is."  
Naruto snorted "He called her dinner."  
"That he did but it was out of ignorance. You can open his eyes."  
"You could do that too."  
"I'm not in the position to, nor do I have the strength to do it. The best I could do since I arrived in this village was to keep what I knew to myself."  
Naruto sighed "You really care about him, don't you?"  
"He's my only friend." Naruto had finished his meal and lay on his back with his hands folded under his head.  
"But he's only human. Why do you think that he can break this circle of hatred?"  
"I don't think he can, not for the entire world, but maybe for this village. You can come to the village every now and then and I'll get you food. What do you say?"  
"I'll think about it."

Sasuke was watching people absent minded, lost in thoughts, when Gaara sat on the log beside him.  
"What's wrong?" The red head asked also looking at the people drinking and dancing in the square.  
"Nothing, I was just thinking."  
"About what?"  
"About what you said this morning…about where you were until a few moments ago…" he trailed off.  
"What did I say this morning?"  
"That the blond smelled like the fox. How can you tell?"  
"Let's just say that my senses are sharper than yours. And to answer you second question…I went to see the blond." Sasuke's gaze moved on his friend.  
"How did you open the gates?" Gaara looked back at him and realization hit Sasuke hard in the gut.  
"Tell me you're not….Are you?" He couldn't form the words he needed to ask the question he wanted to ask. And again Gaara didn't answer but Sasuke was not strong enough to force the answer out of him.

A few days had passed and Sasuke was acting strange. He was still training every day, alone in the morning and with Itachi later in the day but he was more quiet than usual and his mother was becoming concerned.  
"Sasuke, dear, if Itachi is pushing you too hard you can take a break for a few days you know?" She told him at breakfast one morning. He looked at her confused.  
"He's not pushing me too hard, mom. I want to get stronger fast and Itachi knows that."  
"Is there anything else that's bothering you though because you haven't been yourself these days?" He hadn't thought of an excuse so he didn't say anything but he made a mental note to find something plausible to tell his mom. "Did you and Gaara have a fight?"  
Yeah, that could work for an excuse. Gaara and his mother never talked to one another more than a polite hello or how are you today? Because Gaara never went to his house. They always met at one of their meeting spots so his mother would never ask Gaara if they actually had a fight or not.  
"Kind of?"  
"But why?" She had never heard of Sasuke having a fight with Gaara for as long as they knew each other, with other kids in the village, yes, but not with Gaara.  
Sasuke had to think of something quick so he remembered the small argument about hunting that they had. It wasn't a fight, not from his point of view but it could work for his mom "He doesn't like the fact that we hunt for food. I tried to explain to him but he wouldn't listen."  
"Ow, Sasuke. That's not a reason to fight and stay mad at him for days. People are allowed to have different opinions." She cleaned the table and put the dishes into the sink. "Try to accept his opinion too. People are different and they can only live together if they accept their differences."  
Accept their differences…what about the differences between humans and forest dwellers? Could they be accepted?

Leaving the house he went to hang out with Gaara at the lake.  
He didn't feel like talking much, not even to Gaara. Actually he felt a bit awkward around his friend since he asked that question that Gaara didn't answer. And the fact that he didn't answer was an answer on its own although Sasuke didn't want it to be. Gaara was human, he had to be. He was not a forest dweller and his parents did not die being hunted by humans like the fox was. Gaara was human. He kept on repeating that in his mind hoping that if he repeated it enough times it would become real and he would believe it. But in the back of his mind there was a voice that told him otherwise. Gaara is a forest dweller and he kept this secret for so long. He came to live with humans to survive after he lost his parents. He came to live with the ones who killed his parents to survive.  
He couldn't sit still anymore in the awkward silence so he began practicing the fire technique that Itachi taught him the other day just to keep his mind busy with something else for a change. It was still awkward though.  
He heard a few noises in the nearby trees and a few moments later the blond from a few days ago was standing in front of Gaara who was seated on the grass.  
"I'm hungry." He stated and as if trying to prove the truth of his words his stomach growled. He looked at his feet, ashamed of the display of weakness.  
Gaara stood up and approached him. "I'll go get you something. Wait here." He made a step to leave when a tanned hand grabbed his shoulder.  
"Don't leave me alone, not here."  
"It will only take a few minutes." Gaara put a reassuring hand on top of the tanned one until the blond moved his hand away. Sasuke was bemused at how the two boys interacted as if he wasn't even there.  
Gaara left the two boys alone and the blond made no attempt to acknowledge Sasuke's presence.  
"Is Gaara a forest dweller?" Sasuke voiced the question that had been nagging him for some time.  
The blond raised his eyes to meet his "Can't you even tell?" then as if suddenly remembering something he continued "Oh, wait. You can't." He emphasized the last word and Sasuke's eyebrow started twitching in annoyance.  
"You either tell me or you don't. I don't need your shit."  
"He is." The blond gave in and Sasuke softened up a bit.  
"Is he a fox like you?"  
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a fox?" He spat "I'm a…."  
"Forest dweller. I know" the blond seemed to calm down a bit although he was still being offensive "What I meant is if he looks like a fox like you do."  
"No. His other form resembles a tanuki."  
"How can you tell?"  
"By his smell of course."  
"Is this form important to forest dwellers?" Now the blond looked utterly confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Do fox dwellers hate tanuki dwellers or something like that?"  
The blonde snorted "Why would they? Only humans hate each other because they are black or white or whatever other stupid reason they can find. Most forest dwellers don't even hate humans."  
"Do you?" Naruto looked away as he felt his eyes getting wet again. He had cried for days until he thought he had no more tears to cry but he must have been wrong. "Just so you know I couldn't eat at the festival." Sasuke thought that the boy needed to know that. "What is your name?"  
"I suppose you can call me lunch." The blond said as he tried hard to suppress his tears. He didn't want to cry, not in front of a human, not in front of a jerk.  
"I'm sorry…" Sasuke felt the blonde's words like a dagger piercing through his heart "I didn't know, I didn't mean to…so please tell me your name."  
"Naruto."  
"And what was her name?" Naruto closed his eyes and her image appeared in his mind the way she looked the last time he saw her before the battle, before she died trying to protect him and their home.  
"Kurama."  
"What will you do now?"  
"I'll get stronger because I don't want to lose anyone I care about anymore. Then I don't know…I'll probably leave this place soon. It's not safe anymore now that the hunters know where my home is."  
"Stay here." Gaara approached him carrying bread, fruits and a bowl of rice and vegetables. "I know I'm asking for a lot from you but please consider the offer."  
"And how exactly do you plan on explaining my presence to the villagers?"  
"You can be another orphan found by the merchants at the edge of the forest. They don't need to know who you are and you can have food and shelter, although you will have to work for it."  
"How can I live with the people who killed my mother?"  
"You'll need to find the answer to that question on your own."  
"Gaara is right." Sasuke confirmed "You can stay."


	2. The Forest

The Forest

Kakashi Hatake was one of the merchants in Konoha who took over his father's shop. But before he settled down for this business he had learned to be a warrior. That worked in his advantage of course since he didn't need to hire too many men to protect him and his goods whenever he traveled. He always traveled in the company of two men who were some of his very close friends: Gai and Tenzou.  
Kakashi was the one who took Gaara in after he was found on the road by Teuchi, a fellow merchant. Teuchi had a daughter who worked at the shop and was not in need of help but Kakashi lived alone since he lost his father and he could use all the help he could get at the shop, especially when he had to leave the village to get more goods. He took a liking of the red head since the beginning since he was hard working and honest although Gaara was too quiet at times, so quiet that it was creepy. Kakashi brushed it off though since the boy had been through a lot since his parents were killed.  
Iruka, another one of Kakashi's close friends and the teacher in the village grew fond of Gaara rather fast and dedicated his spare time to make Gaara feel at home in their village.  
"Parents, these days…" Kakashi had said to his friends as they found the blond boy at the edge of the woods. "Who would venture outside with children in tow?"  
"You don't know the circumstances so you can't blame them." Tenzou pointed out.  
"But still…"  
And so, Naruto was brought into the village and introduced to Gaara, his new brother. "Two helpers are better than one." Kakashi had said and his heart skipped a bit in excitement when the blond had asked Kakashi to train him. He was glad to have around someone more energetic, not in an annoying way but in a way that made their humble abode merrier.

One early morning, at sunrise, Naruto was sitting on top of the wall that surrounded the village, facing the woods and dangling one foot idly.  
"Naruto, you're insane." At the bottom of the wall, on the outside, stood a pink haired girl with leaf green eyes who looked upwards to the boy perched on the wall.  
"What do you want me to do, Sakura-chan? I can't even do a proper bijuudama. I can't live on my own."  
"Forget the bijuudama, your human form is a mess, they'll catch you in an instant." Of course she would see it that way since her own transformation was perfect.  
"Ow, come on Sakura-chan…" the blond pouted "it's not that bad."  
"Humans don't have whiskers, Naruto." She stated the matter of fact with her hands on her hips and a rather annoyed expression on her face. She didn't like it when someone disagreed with her when she was obviously right.  
"No one suspects a thing though." Naruto gave her a reassuring grin.  
"Then they are more stupid than you are. Just think about it before it's too late." She turned around and left without even saying goodbye.  
"Naruto?" Sasuke had arrived moments ago and saw the blond perched on the wall, apparently talking to someone, although he couldn't be sure "What are you doing up there?"  
Naruto turned his head around just enough to see the raven "Why do you care?" Sasuke sighed. Apparently they were still not done with the hostilities.  
"I was just wondering who you were talking to." Naruto jumped off the wall as if it was nothing and Sasuke was in awe for a moment. He knew forest dwellers could do that but he had never seen one of them actually doing it. "Was that a friend of yours?"  
Naruto sighed "Not really. She is into more handsome looking guys."  
Sasuke giggled and Naruto furrowed his brows, clearly annoyed. "You like her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and by Naruto's red tainted cheeks he could tell that he hit the bull's eye. "But you can shape shift so you can look like anything you want."  
"Transform…" Naruto corrected him.  
"Same thing. The point is that you can change the way you look."  
Naruto scoffed "And just when I thought you couldn't say anything else stupid you prove me wrong. I can only look like me. I can change between this human form and the fox form. I can improve this human form by getting rid of the whiskers, and I will eventually, but I can't look like you."  
"Is that a compliment?" Sasuke smirked making Naruto scoff again.  
"You wish. Now stop wasting my time. I actually came here to train."  
"Me too."  
Sasuke began his morning practice but he couldn't focus the way he usually did. Naruto's presence was distracting although the blond was quiet and apparently focused on something in his hand.  
"What are you doing?" He asked when curiosity took the best of him.  
"A bijuudama." The blond answered absent minded. Sasuke moved closer to get a better look at whatever was in Naruto's palm.  
"Is that it?" the small swirl of blue chakra in Naruto's palm looked rather…unimpressive.  
"Of course not, I'm still working on it."  
Sasuke took a seat on a nearby log and focused his attention on the blond. "What's the bijuudama anyway?"  
"For someone who's been friends with a forest dweller you sure don't know much."  
"Gaara never told me anything about the outside world. I just found out he wasn't human."  
"The bijuudama is a concentrated ball of chakra that forest dwellers use to protect themselves. In animal form it is made in the muzzle but the human mouth is too small for that." Then his face lit up as if he had a revelation. He brought his fingers in front of him, in the shape of a cross and with a puff of smoke several copies of him appeared all over the place.  
Sasuke jumped from his seat and almost stumbled backwards "What are you doing?" he yelled.  
"Shadow clones. It's something Kakashi taught me." Naruto said full of pride.  
"You can't do that many!"  
"Yeah, I can."  
Sasuke shook his head "What I mean is that even trained warriors can do five at most. You can't be seen with this many."  
"Oh…" Naruto dispelled most of them until only two were left "I don't need that many anyway." And just like that he and his clones went back to work. He released chakra in his hand and the clones carefully shaped it into what looked like a ball of yarn to Sasuke. When the ball reached the size of Naruto's palm he dispelled the clones and the chakra string vanished in the wind. "I'm hungry."

Kakashi had left again with Gai and Tenzou and Gaara and Naruto were in charge of the store which meant that they couldn't hang out at the lake too much so Sasuke was pretty much stuck at the store. Of course he didn't have to be there but ever since Naruto appeared in his life he lost interest in the gates.  
He was sitting on a stool with his elbows on the counter and his chin rest against his laced fingers. "What are you daydreaming about? The forest again?" Gaara asked as he finished serving a customer.  
"Actually I was wondering why you never trusted me enough to tell me about…all this." They decided to be careful what they said in places where they could be overheard and the store was one of those places.  
"Do you blame me?" Gaara's tone didn't betray the disappointment that he felt right now. He had tried to be the best friend he could be for Sasuke. He even went beyond the fact that Sasuke was human and his own parents had been killed by humans. He was smart enough to know that it wasn't Sasuke's fault; it wasn't the fault of anyone in this village actually. Keeping this secret made him feel safe though and he just hoped it wouldn't ruin his friendship with Sasuke.  
When Naruto appeared and served the existence of the forest dwellers to Sasuke on a silver plate, he got more courage too and gave Sasuke small hints about who he really was. That was a sign of trust, wasn't it?  
"Not really. If your parents were killed by humans then I can understand why you don't trust humans. I do feel a bit disappointed though."  
Gaara's eyes moved away from Sasuke. Although Sasuke had not been looking at him, the shame he felt was making it unbearable to look at his friend. "Sorry."  
Sasuke turned to look at him "Did you ever think of going out?"  
Gaara occupied himself with arranging on the shelves some stuff that Naruto brought from the small storage room in the back. "For me it would be more like going back rather than going out. The walls don't keep me in, remember?"  
Sasuke forgot about that for a moment so he corrected himself. "Then did you ever think of going back?"  
"I did, I do…" Sasuke felt like a punch in his stomach when the realization that Gaara could just leave whenever he wanted hit him.  
"Will you leave?" He didn't want to hear the answer to that but he needed to know, he needed to know the truth.  
"Eventually…someday…" Sasuke couldn't help but feel disappointed and selfish at the same time. He was in the village, with his family, with his own kind, but Naruto and Gaara were not with their own kind, they were just hiding among strangers. Wouldn't it be normal for them to want to be with other forest dwellers where they wouldn't have to keep their human form all the time?  
"What about you, Naruto? Will you leave?"  
"Sure, as soon as I get stronger I want to go back and protect the forest dwellers that live nearby. I'll divert the hunters away from their homes and I'll protect Sakura-chan."  
A wide grin, so unlike Sasuke, was plastered on the raven's face. "Your little foxy-chan?" he teased because teasing Naruto was so much fun and was keeping the dark thoughts away for now.  
"Shut up." Naruto's face became red and that was a bonus for Sasuke. "And her other form is of a wolf not a fox."  
"Let's go out!" Sasuke said all of the sudden and two pairs of blue eyes, one sky blue and the other tainted green looked at him as if he grew a second head.  
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Gaara asked.  
"Can't any of you jump with me over the wall or something? I'm not that heavy."  
Gaara sighed. His friend's determination to go on the other side has not diminished at all over the years, if anything he was even more enthusiastic about it. "Someone will see us at some point. It's too risky."  
"Then you come up with a better idea."  
"Come by the lake at midnight."

Sasuke got out of his bed and got dressed. He was extremely curious what plan Gaara had but his stubborn friend wouldn't tell him anything more so he had to leave the store completely oblivious. The rest of the day didn't pass fast enough in his opinion although he did train with Itachi again and did some chores around the house, his mind was elsewhere.  
Going into the kitchen he packed some food and bottles of water and quietly made his way out of the house and through the dark streets.  
When he arrived at the lake he noticed that Naruto and Gaara were already there, waiting for him.  
"What do you plan on doing once you get on the other side?" Gaara asked and Sasuke looked at him confused.  
"What do you mean? Explore the forest, I guess."  
"You have to promise to never tell anyone in the village about this though." Naruto added.  
"Of course I won't. I'd get busted too."  
"And you have to promise to never go out there alone." Gaara added.  
Sasuke rolled his eyes "Fine, anything else?"  
"No."  
"Care to explain why I can't go alone though."  
"Because there aren't just forest dwellers out there and because forest dwellers are not happy when people get too close to their homes, if you know what I mean."  
Yes, that was something Sasuke could understand. Having friendly forest dwellers with him when he encountered other forest dwellers would have its advantage.  
Standing up from the log he had been sitting on, Gaara went closer to the wall and changing into his tanuki form he blew a bijuudama into the wall, making a hole.  
So that's what a bijuudama is supposed to look like, Sasuke though, amazed by the power of the rather small chakra ball. Gaara's bijuudama had been bigger that the one Naruto made in his hand using clones but Naruto did tell him that bijuudamas were not usually made with the hand. The thick wall now had a hole in it. The problem was it wasn't large enough for Sasuke to go through. Gaara changed back into his human form and made room for Naruto to have his turn so the blond changed into his fox form.  
"The bijuudama is chakra consuming so I would rather not make more than one if I can help it. Our chakra reserves are rather low right now." Gaara explained as they both watched Naruto blow another bijuudama into the wall, making the hole large enough for them to go through.  
Once the dust settled down Sasuke went through the hole followed by Gaara while Naruto jumped over the wall instead. Once on the other side he began running around like a wild animal set free after it had been kept in a cage for a long time. Sasuke's gaze followed him jump into the trees, soring higher until he reached the tree top then made a jump in the air and landed in another tree. His orange fur was shining in the moonlight and the sight left Sasuke speechless.  
"He looks happy." Gaara broke the silence.  
"He's beautiful. His fur looks different than hers."  
"That's because she was dead."  
"Do you think he refrained himself from going out since he came to the village?"  
Gaara began walking further away from the wall and Sasuke followed him. Naruto followed them too, keeping a distance. "I told him to do it. If he went out too often getting caught would be inevitable."  
"If it was so hard for him I wonder how hard it was for you, all these years…"  
"I'm not as hyperactive as he is although I too miss the freedom."  
What are you talking about? Sasuke was startled by Naruto's voice and looked down at the fox who was eyeing him with his head tilted slightly.  
"Gaara over here was just pointing out how hyperactive you are." Sasuke didn't miss the chance to tease the blond.  
You don't know what it's like to be cooped up all day! Sasuke could clearly hear Naruto's voice although the fox never opened his mouth and he wondered what else he did not know about forest dwellers.  
"Actually he does but he doesn't know what he's missing." Gaara pointed out.  
I guess you're right.  
"How do you do that?" Sasuke asked.  
How do I do what?  
"I can hear your voice but you're not talking."  
I can't talk looking like this so I have to use telepathy with you.  
"Would you like to taste a bit of freedom?" Gaara asked giving Sasuke one of his extremely rare smiles.  
Sasuke looked puzzled as Gaara transformed into a tanuki once again.  
Hop on! He offered with a motion of his head and Sasuke jumped on his back digging his fingers in Gaara's brown fur. Hold on to my neck, just not too tight. As soon as Sasuke was comfortable on his back, Gaara began running deeper into the forest with Naruto in tow. Once they were far away from the village and once he felt that Sasuke was comfortable enough with the speed, he began soring into the trees like Naruto did before and Sasuke felt like he could touch the sky.  
"This is amazing, Gaara!" he said full of excitement.  
This is nothing. He's taking it easy for your sake. We wouldn't want you to lose your dinner. Naruto teased as he ran beside Gaara.  
It was a little before sunrise when they got back to the village and they watched the sunrise from their spot by the lake.  
"I would have never taken you for someone who likes to watch the sunrise, Naruto." Sasuke said as he looked at the many colors in the sky as the sun peaked over the horizon.  
Naruto shrugged "Sunrise and sunset are some of the best things in this village."  
Sasuke thought it wasn't bad at all to watch the sky especially when you had friends to keep you company. He wondered why he never did this with Gaara before but soon he realized that he had been too obsessed with the outside world that was out of his reach, with the stories about it, with the gates that stood between him and the forest, with his training that would be his ticket out...  
Now he had everything he wanted: his own personal, secret door to the outside world and two unusual friends. It was more than any story he had heard before, more than any villager's imagination could make up, it was more like a dream but he couldn't help but wonder how long will it last?  
"Do you hate it here?"  
"I don't hate it but I don't like it either. I just wish I could be me."

Sasuke went home in time for breakfast, like he always did. Only this time he didn't spend his morning training. This time he had to hide a hole in the wall the best he could but that didn't ruin his day. He felt more alive than ever and he was looking forward to the next time they would go out.  
"You look in a good mood today." Itachi said after observing him carefully at breakfast "Any special reason?"  
"Sure" Sasuke said shoving some eggs in his mouth.  
"Can you share with your family?" Itachi raised an eyebrow at him.  
No, I can't was what he wanted to say but he couldn't do that. Itachi was just as stubborn as he was, if not more and he would get the answer out of him by force if he had to. "I'm getting better at using the sharingan and I'm happy with my progress, that's all. Do you want to see today?"  
"I'm afraid I can't today. We're going hunting again, deep in the woods and we'll be back late. Maybe you'll show me tomorrow."  
Sasuke nodded "Just be careful out there. Mom wouldn't want you to end up like Chouza-san."  
Itachi pouted "So you are not concerned for me at all?"  
"A little…maybe." Sasuke teased but his good mood was gone. If the hunters went deep into the forest they could be going after the forest dwellers. He had to warn Gaara and Naruto fast so just as soon as he finished his breakfast he ran to Kakashi's place.  
"The hunters are going out!" He yelled from the doorframe, too tired from running to make a step in. Leaning against it he panted, trying to catch his breath. Gaara was the first to appear, followed by Naruto but he was too short of breath to greet them properly.  
"This could be bad." Gaara pointed out.  
"We must do something." Naruto added and Gaara silently agreed.  
"Both of us can't go. It would raise suspicions if we don't open the store so I'll stay and cover for you." Naruto nodded in agreement and shoving in his mouth the toast he had been holding, he ran out of the house.  
"I'll go with you." Sasuke stopped him in his tracks.  
"Are you crazy?" Naruto asked as if it was the most insane thing in the world but Sasuke was unfazed.  
"Please, take me with you."  
"Don't be stupid, you'll just be in the way." Naruto argued.  
"My sharingan can be useful. I'll just hide if you tell me to." Sasuke didn't consider himself powerless but he was well aware that his sharingan was not developed enough to create illusions, just to predict movements, and his fire techniques were useless against Itachi. And Itachi will be there, his father too. So this time he had to swallow his pride and agree to stay low.  
"Take him." Sasuke turned to Gaara surprised but he had never been more grateful that his friend was on his side.  
Naruto sighed and did not complain any more when Sasuke followed him at the lake.  
They went both through the hole since they didn't want to be noticed by any guards at the watch towers, then covered the hole and ran further into the woods. Once they were shadowed by the trees Naruto changed in fox form.  
Get on my back. He waited patiently until Sasuke was safely secured on his back, his pale hands wrapped around his neck, then started running, slower at first, observing the boy on his back carefully, then faster, then full speed. It didn't take long for him to reach the edge of the area where forest dwellers lived.  
"Why did you stop?" Sasuke asked.  
I stopped because you were about to lose your breakfast and get my fur dirty. That was not the real reason, of course but Naruto was still not happy to babysit Sasuke. He only accepted to take him because Gaara had asked him to. And Gaara had asked him to because Sasuke had a stupid obsession with the forest. Didn't Gaara realize this was not a game though?  
Naruto? What are you doing here!? And do you care to explain why you brought a human so close to our homes?  
Before Sasuke could protest that he wasn't about to lose his breakfast a grey and white wolf appeared from behind some bushes, followed by a boar.  
Sakura-chan….Lee…. It's alright. He's ok but the hunters will be here soon, you have to leave.  
You showed a human our homes and you want me to be ok with it?! She telepathically yelled in Sasuke's ears and he covered his ears forgetting that the gesture was useless.  
We came here to divert the hunters from the area, that's all.  
You? As in the both of you? Why would he even help with that? And what can you do against those hunters when not even Kurama-san could stand a chance?  
If what Naruto says is true, then we should better go. The boar named Lee interfered and Sasuke was glad that someone had stopped her ranting.  
I don't care if I die. I've been ready to die since I first stepped in the village. The wolf and boar walked away and before they disappeared Lee gave Naruto one last sad look.  
Naruto sat down and sighed, forgetting about Sasuke for a moment. He didn't need to be reminded of his mother again but the sudden arms wrapped around his neck brought him back from his thoughts.  
Get off.  
"Don't ever say that again." Sasuke buried his face in the orange, soft fur and Naruto tried to shake him off.  
I Think I have the right to tell you to get off. Naruto snarled, showing his fangs.  
"Don't ever say that you are ready to die." Sasuke explained, completely unfazed by Naruto's aggression. Naruto calmed down a bit and they stood like that for a while until Naruto's ears twitched at a sudden sound in the forest.  
Get off. I mean it this time. Sasuke looked in the sky blue eyes but they were focused on the woods. He turned to look in that direction but saw nothing.  
"Are they coming?" Naruto nodded.  
Go and hide. Sasuke did as he was told, after all he had promised Naruto that he would and he didn't want to ruin his chance of going out again because he didn't keep his promise.  
Naruto waited patiently until the hunters spotted him. His focusing was shifting between Tsume's dogs and the hunters until someone initiated an attack. The dogs came running at him at the same time and he jumped in the air out of their reach only to land a few meters away from the dogs, then began running.  
"Go after it!" Tsume ordered her dogs and the hunters followed too. It was what Naruto had expected and wanted. The hunters were too focused of the fox they were following to notice the presence of a wolf and a boar a bit further away or realize that Sasuke was following them, his usually black eyes turning red. He saw Inoichi raising his hands to make the hand signs for a technique and howled, imitating a wolf. It was the only animal he could imitate and it seemed more appropriate than yelling 'watch out' at Naruto.  
Fortunately it got Naruto's attention and due to the sudden change of direction Inoichi had missed his target. Naruto led them to a river where some deer were drinking water, then disappeared from their site but still watched them carefully from afar. Just as he expected the hunters focused on the deer and forgot about him. This went on until Fugaku pointed out that it was time to go home.  
Naruto went to Sasuke and together they watched the hunters head home.  
Your howling is terrible but thanks.  
"I told you I can help. Ne, Naruto?"  
Hm?  
"Where do forest dwellers live anyway? That part of the forest where we met your girlfriend looked just like the rest."  
Naruto tried to ignore the annoying remark about Sakura being his girlfriend. What were you expecting? Tree houses?  
"Maybe…I don't know…"  
As much as we love nature we have to live underground for safety reasons.  
"Do forest dwellers spend most of their time in human form or animal form?"  
I guess that depends on the necessities but also on the individual's personality. Why do you ask?  
"Because it seems to me you spent most of your time in animal form."  
That I did… Sasuke didn't miss the tint of regret in Naruto's 'voice'.

Several days later, after closing the store in the evening, the three of them went out again.  
"So what do you want to do today?" Sasuke asked. He was fine with whatever his friends chose as long as they were not in the village.  
"There is not much we can do, Sasuke. It's just a forest." Gaara pointed out. "We're just going to enjoy the freedom we don't have in the village." He concluded as he changed in his tanuki form.  
Naruto pondered for a moment before he told Sasuke to get on his back. I'll take you to my favorite place in the forest. He began running full speed with Gaara in tow until they reached the lake in the forest.  
I really missed this place. Sasuke looked around and could understand why Naruto loved that place so much. It was surrounded by trees, most of it being in the shadows during the day and covered with fallen leaves. There were some berry bushes with fruits too and Sasuke went to pick some of them and eat.  
I'm surprised the villagers didn't come to pick these up. This place is quite close to the road, you know? Naruto pointed out.  
"Really?"  
Yeah, the hunters come here quite often.  
Be quiet. Sasuke turned to look at Gaara who was focused on a certain part of the forest, his ears twitching every now and then.  
"What is it Gaara?" He asked.  
It's coming from the road. Someone in attacked. He ran in that direction and Sasuke and Naruto followed him. They stopped to hide behind some bushes at a safe distance and saw a group of men with masks, dressed in dark clothes, attacking a merchant.  
That's Kakashi. Naruto pointed out horrified. What are they doing?  
They are thieves.  
And they attack their own kind? Naruto wondered aloud.  
Humans don't have a problem with turning against one another. We have to save him. Gaara explained.  
Kakashi and his friends were outnumbered and Kakashi, who stayed close to his goods, was soon gravely injured. Gai's right leg had been made useless by an injury inflicted at his knee and he told Tenzou to run to the village for help since there was no other way for them to get out alive.  
That was the moment when Naruto and Gaara jumped from their hiding place and growling they showed their fangs to the enemy pushing them back.  
"They're just pups." One of the men yelled "We can get them if we work together." Some of the other men nodded in agreement and prepared to attack.  
Activating his sharingan Sasuke ran towards them and made a fire barrier between the thieves and them. Naruto took care of all the kunai and shuriken that were thrown their way through the fire and Gaara attacked the enemy as soon as the flames faded in the wind.  
Making sure that Sasuke was alright Naruto too engaged in battle and thanks to Sasuke's guidance they managed to buy some time until Tenzou came with help.  
"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled as he noticed his brother's silhouette near Kakashi. He ran in front of his brother while the other warriors made a wall between their injured friends and the thieves.  
"Tsume!" Fugaku yelled "You and I will take care of the demons, everyone else get the thieves!" He ordered and Sasuke was horrified.  
"Father, no! Don't hurt them!" He yelled exasperated but the man showed no intent to stop.  
"They're dangerous, Sasuke." His eyes never left Naruto's blue ones out of his sight. Naruto stayed calm, making no attempt to run or communicate telepathically with the man.  
"Naruto, say something!" Sasuke begged as he moved to stand between his father and friend but Naruto did not obey.  
Tsume has unleashed her dogs on Gaara but the tanuki kept on focusing mostly on the enemies, avoiding the dogs in the meantime.  
"Oh, kami sama. Fugaku, what if Sasuke is right?" she asked, realizing that this was a very odd behavior for an animal. She had raised dogs her entire life and was well aware that animals always focused on the immediate threat.

The thieves had been killed and most warriors went back to the village, taking Gai, Kakashi and his goods with them. Itachi, Fugaku and Tsume were the only ones left in the middle of the road with Sasuke standing between them and the forest dwellers.  
Sasuke activated his sharingan again, proving his father that he will fight against him if he had to. "Don't hurt them, father."  
"How did you even get out?" Itachi wondered aloud.  
"That fox looks like it's about to attack. Sasuke, come here." Fugaku ordered him but Sasuke turned around instead and faced Naruto.  
"Naruto, please…show them who you are." Sasuke begged again. Naruto changed in his human form but still pierced the now in shock warrior with his gaze.  
"I am the one who was left orphan by you on the day before the festival." He said as he waited to be attacked anytime.  
"You mean the demon fox we hunted that day was…" Tsume started but she couldn't finish the sentence. It was too shocking and sad to think that she had killed someone's mother. She was the mother of two kids herself, she should know. What shocked her most was that the fox that stood in front of her before was looking like a human now. She never had such thoughts when she went hunting but now she felt like she had killed a human being not a demon fox and she had never killed a human mother before, she could have never done that.  
"My mom." Naruto finished in her place. "Please, make it fast." Naruto's tone was sad but determined.  
She turned to Fugaku. "You didn't come to our village to avenge your mother. If that was the case you would have done it by now." He pointed out.  
"He came because I asked him to." Gaara changed in his human form too. "He wouldn't have survived in the forest alone."  
"You too?" Fugaku asked. "I was instructed with the holy duty to protect our village by our leader, Sarutobi-sama. I will have to make him aware of the situation and let him decide what to do with you two."

Naruto and Gaara were taken in front of the villager's leader and although Sasuke was instructed to go home he did not comply. The news spread fast after the group entered the gates and other villagers gathered around to see what was going on. Fugaku presented the situation to the old man and Iruka asked to be allowed to talk too, in Kakashi's place since the man was in the Nara's care at the moment. He knew how much Kakashi loved the boys and he did too and that would not change just because they were not human.  
Sasuke interfered too, pointing out that they were his friends and that they would never hurt anyone in the village.  
"We killed Naruto's mother though." The old man interfered. "How do you feel about that, boy?"  
Naruto didn't even blink "I can't forgive the ones who did that." He answered earnestly. "You can kill me if you consider me a threat, but please let Gaara stay."  
"We will not kill you unless we have to." The old man said. "Gaara can stay and you too if you want."  
The meeting ended late at night and the villagers left home to end their day.  
"Can I stay over for the night?" Sasuke asked shyly as his friends turned to go back home. Everything ended in their favor but he still felt afraid that he might lose them if he let them go. Gaara nodded and the three of them disappeared into the night.


End file.
